His Love is Our Strength

SERMON

Good Friday - March 25, 2016

Christ Church, St. Michael's Parish

As baptized Christians we are accountable to an intentional way of thinking; an intentional way of behaving; an intentional way of living that is directed by Christ within us and Christ with us. Our baptismal anointing calls us to seek Christ, in ourselves and in others, continually, as we travel into the world to abolish darkness and despair.

Just a few short weeks ago, in my Christmas Day sermon, I marveled at God’s amazing gift, saying:

“This Christmas Day, I pray that you will be thrilled by the presence of the angel of the Lord. I pray that the command to “go and see” will ring loud in your ears and that you will, with the eyes of your heart, visit Bethlehem and experience the joy and hope of gazing at the infant child – the baby Jesus. I pray that you will be re-invigorated – re-energized – in your call as a member of the Christ Church community to go into the world and to spread the Good News.”

That was a sermon filled with excitement, joy, and hope. It was a sermon that called people to be thrilled by the presence of the angel of God. It was a sermon that emphasized God’s “amazing gift.” It was a sermon that called us to experience, in every sense of the word, the very real presence of the incarnate Jesus in our lives. It was a sermon that called us to action – the action of “going and seeing” with the goal of being thrilled, amazed, joyous, re-invigorated, re-energized, and renewed in our life as disciples of Jesus.

  

In the ensuing weeks, as post-modern disciples, we watched and listened as Jesus was baptized, and as he began his journey from the river Jordon to Jerusalem and

the cross. We watched and listened to Jesus teach and heal. We came to know him as: 

·        The bread of life – The one who spiritually sustains us.

·        The light of the world – The one through whom we gain spiritual understanding and wisdom for living.

·        The gate – The one who has given us free and unlimited access to the Kingdom of God.

·        The good shepherd – The one who gives his life for those who follow him.

·        The resurrection and the life – The one who has guaranteed our eternal life with God.

·        The way, the truth, and the life – The one who shows us the way of life.

·        The vine – The one without whom we cannot sustain ourselves in his way of life.

Luke summarizes Jesus’ impact on the world with staggering simplicity, “The blind receive their sight, the lame walk. Lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up. The poor have good news preached to them.” (Luke 7:22)

And now, we stand at the foot of the cross, stunned by the violence of the crucifixion and sensing, no not sensing but knowing, that without Jesus with us we are lost in a dark wilderness and filled with anxiety, fear, and despair. We stand at the foot of the cross grieving – deeply grieving.

What does this intense grieving moment of Good Friday teach us about our relationship with Jesus? Why does it matter?

This brief and deeply grief-filled moment at the foot of the cross is, I believe, pivotal to our lives as Christians. It is the moment in which we watch Jesus, in his incredible love for us, give his life - turn his life over - to the Father.  It is the moment in which Jesus’ love for us brings death to him while at the same time bringing freedom to us – freedom to “Love the Lord our God with all our heart and with all our soul and with all our minds.  And, freedom to love our neighbors as ourselves.”  Freedom to love others as Jesus loved us, and continues to love us - Freedom to go out into the world in love as a light in the darkness.

To allow ourselves to experience this grief moment fully, quietly and prayerfully - to burn with the pain of its intensity- is critical. Without mourning the loss of Jesus - without this painful grieving moment - we will not have the passion, the energy, or the will to move forward into a way of life that reflects our identity as true Disciples of Christ. We must confront the deep pain of the present reality – Jesus not with us - mourn his

loss, understand the true love that led to his crucifixion if we are to find our way forward not in grief, but in love, into the world and with action that knows no fear – words and deeds that bring light into the darkness.

What is the importance of our relationship with Jesus? Just that – it is a relationship. It is a relationship founded by and grounded in the most profound form of love – agape - a love that endures sacrifice, hardship, and death on the cross – a love that is passionate in the face of injustice – a love that seeks to reconcile the world to God.

Through our baptism God has anointed us for the work of Christian ministry. In our baptismal anointing we are united with Christ and enabled, entrusted, and empowered to accomplish God's will as we discern it to be.

Jesus is our vine – our lifeblood; we are his branches – his offspring; his heirs left behind at the foot of the cross. He will be with us – always. We are to abide in him – to gain our strength through him - always.

Pope Leo I in the late Fifth Century in his Good Friday Sermon preached on this relationship, saying:

“…So my dear people, as we celebrate this profound mystery of our redemption, let us acknowledge the teaching of God’s Spirit, the glory we are called to share, and the hope into which we have entered. We must not allow the activities of our life to fill us with anxiety or pride, so that we are unable to strive with our

whole being to be conformed to the pattern of our Redeemer, and to walk in his way. He has achieved and suffered everything necessary for our salvation, so that the power which was in the Head might also be found in us, his body.”

This grieving moment at the foot of the cross will soon be over and we will be distracted by the excitement and joy of the resurrection. In this distraction, let us not forget the love that has been entrusted to us by the one who loved us beyond comprehension, and the one who loves us always.  AMEN

Getting to Know Paul...

SERMON

Epiphany 2016

Christ Church, St. Michaels Parish

In the early spring of 2011 I was lucky enough to be part of a pilgrimage traveling to Greece and Turkey with members of St. Paul’s, Delray Beach. We were a group of 25 led by the now Bishop of New Jersey, Chip Stokes. Our intent for this pilgrimage was to follow the footsteps of Paul through Greece and Turkey as he traveled not once, not twice, but four times from Jerusalem to sites as far-reaching as Rome 2000 years ago.

Back then I really did not know an awful lot about Paul. In fact, as I think back I can truthfully say that I knew nothing about Paul apart from the fragmented Lectionary readings that we hear each Sunday morning.

 And, I have to admit that I did not go on this pilgrimage with the intent of learning about Paul specifically.  Rather, I was intrigued by returning to Greece, a country I had not visited for quite a few years, and visiting Turkey, a country filled, in my mind at least, with intrigue and romance, for a first time.

I was also eager to experience a “Chip led” pilgrimage. Chip was a kind of celebrity in SE Florida – known for his impressive knowledge of biblical history and his passionate teaching style.

Finally, several of the other pilgrims were friends – good friends – and I was looking forward to embarking on this adventure with them.

The first couple of days were spent orienting ourselves to Athens and Corinth. They were, of course, interesting days but really, for me at least, no more than regular touristy touring. I still had no real comprehension of the significance of what I was looking at – especially in Corinth, which was absolutely vast. However, I must admit that after walking for five hours through the ruins of Corinth and periodically stopping to listen to the fascinating information imparted by our tour guide Sabrina – something happened.

We grouped around what Sabrina indicated had been the preaching site for Paul in the incredibly large Corinth agora, or marketplace. Chip said, “This is a perfect place for our daily Eucharistic meal. Chip’s wife Susan, who I believe is really a saint, whipped out bread and wine, communion vessels, prayer books and Chip’s stole- I was carrying my own stole in a tote that had just about everything I held dear in life at that moment in it – basically my passport and my cash.

It was then, at the site where the Apostle Paul preached in Corinth and our little group had its day-two Eucharistic meal with readings from Paul’s letter to the Corinthians, that something began to click.

Two days later we were approaching Philippi and decided to stop at the stream where Lydia was baptized by Paul. As you will recall from Acts, Lydia was most likely an agent for a purple-dye firm in Thyatira, a city outside of Philippi. Lydia was converted during Paul’s visit and insisted on opening her home to Paul and his companions after they had been cast out of Philippi. After baptizing Lydia, Paul and his companions stayed with her until their departure for Thessalonica.

That day, we celebrated the Eucharist at the stream where Lydia was baptized. In fact Chip and I had to walk across the stream to serve the bread and the wine to our fellow pilgrims. It was a very thrilling moment, for all of us. That day the “click” was a little more substantial.

The following afternoon we arrived at our hotel in Thessalonica and were given the directive to break into small groups and to read Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians. I ended up with my roommate Patti and two other group members. We found a small table in the hotel bar area and settled in. We read the letter aloud in its entirety and then went back to re-read the letter one chapter at a time and then discuss it before going on to the next chapter.

By the end of that afternoon the something that began to click in Corinth and the something that had clicked even louder in Thyatira reached its crescendo – a crescendo that resounded throughout my entire body, mind and spirit. To put is rather mundanely, it was a complete “wow” moment.

All of a sudden it dawned on me that I was not traveling through Greece and Turkey to view ruins and the wonders of the modern archeological resurrection of buildings that had collapsed in earthquakes thousands of years earlier – not at all. I was on this journey to get to know Paul – to see and to hear him as so many years ago he traveled more than 10,000 incredibly difficult miles in his ministry to spread the Good News – the Gospel of Jesus. In that final “wow” moment I was re-directed from a journey of visiting ruins to a journey of being one  with Paul as he taught and preached the Good News of Jesus.

At that moment, sitting in the hotel bar in Thessalonica, I realized that our work as pilgrims on a journey to follow Paul’s footsteps through Greece and Turkey called us to experience the burning passion that must have coursed through every vein in Paul’s body as he bravely trekked through miles and miles of wilderness, crossed and re-crossed multiple bodies of water, entered cities that were ruthlessly ruled by the Roman Empire, and stood before crowds of non-believers who went to all lengths to dispel him from their communities. Wow…that was all I could say.

My “Wow” moment was, of course, an epiphany. Suddenly Paul was “revealed” to me. The incredible journey of this brave evangelist became so real to me that I could see it, feel it, and taste it. It was as if Paul was there with me – and, as if I was there with him – both of us very present to each other. And, somehow I knew in a way that words cannot describe, that Jesus was there as well.

Of course, Paul had experienced his own epiphany on the road to Damascus. In Acts 9 there a third person report of this epiphany:

As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”

“Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked.

"I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied. “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”

The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did not see anyone.

— Acts 9:3–9, NIV

Apparently, there was a moment in Paul’s life – there on the road to Damascus - when he experienced Jesus as present in the most powerful way imaginable. And, that incredibly powerful presence shed a blinding light into the heart, mind and soul of Paul. This epiphany – this revealing of Jesus - redirected Paul – and sent him on a most astounding journey of evangelism through the known world – a journey that would in large part be the foundation of the Christian religion as we know it today.

And, in today’s gospel reading from Matthew we learn of yet another epiphany – the epiphany, or revealing of Jesus – to the three Wise Men who have somehow learned that a Messiah, a Savior has been born. They set off to find him, and on their journey they visited King Herod to ask if he knew where the child might be. Herod, threatened by the possibility of being overthrown by this messiah, directed the kings to find the child and to then return and inform him of the child’s exact location.

The three kings continued on their journey, and when they eventually found Jesus they were stunned. They were overwhelmed with joy. They fell on their knees. They knelt down and paid him homage and offered him gifts. During that moment of joy, awe and homage, Jesus was revealed to them. The reality of Jesus – the presence of Jesus and the promise of light shining out of a darkened and troubled world filled their hearts and their minds and their souls. And, rather than returning to report his whereabouts to Herod, for they knew that his intent was to murder this holy child, they were re-directed - they left for their own country by another road, presumably to spread the good news with great joy.

I believe that we all have “wow” moments – epiphanies - when the light of Christ somehow and very mysteriously shines so very brightly in our hearts and minds. A moment when the presence of Jesus, with us now and always, is so very real. These are mystical moments. They come upon us without warning, there are no words to describe them, and they leave us – most often – very quickly. They come and they go. We cannot describe them. But they have the power to re-direct our lives. They are moments of light shining out of the darkness – Jesus with us – moments that point us in new directions of faith and hope.

Today we are celebrating Epiphany, the Christian feast day that celebrates the revelation of God the Son as a human being in Jesus Christ. Today, we each begin anew our journey with Jesus as he goes from the manger to the cross.

At some point in your 2016 journey in the footsteps of Jesus will you have a “wow” moment – an Epiphany? Will you experience the presence of Jesus in your heart, your mind and your soul in a way that re-directs your life? With the eyes and ears of your heart will you know the hope to which Jesus has called you? Will you experience the immeasurable greatness of his power that shines a guiding light on the way to love, the way to transform this world from the nightmare it often is into the dream that God intends for us all?

The words of our Collect of the Day so aptly describe our desires to love and to serve the world by following in the footsteps of Jesus.

O God, who so wonderfully created, and yet more wonderfully restored, the dignity of human nature: Grant that we may share the divine life with him who humbled himself to share our humanity, your Son Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. AMEN

Connect, Collaborate, Create...

Sermon

Christ Church, St. Michael’s Parish

3^rd Sunday in Lent, 2016

Yesterday at 1PM the 148^th Annual Meeting of the Diocese of Easton concluded with a prayer and blessing issued by Bishop Parsley. The Annual Meeting, or Convention as it is better known, was an incredibly rich two days centered on the theme, “Connect, Collaborate, Create.” A theme designed to educate clergy and convention delegates about the newly rejuvenated diocesan Department of Missions and the Mission Cluster initiative. Both the Department of Missions and the Mission Clusters are a direct response to the 10 Recommendations developed through the work of the Discernment Committee. These recommendations as you will recall were presented and adopted at the Special Convention held this past year on June 6, 2015. The recommendations were then passed on to the Diocesan Council for implementation.

As a member of the Diocesan Council committee that focused on the “how” of how are we to implement these 10 Recommendations throughout the diocese, I began my final report to the Council with these words:

Mark Twain once said, “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did. So throw the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”

I went on to say:

Mark Twain would have been an excellent motivational coach for the Diocesan Council and the Diocese of Easton as we go about the business of developing and implementing a strategic plan for the Ten Recommendations adopted by the Diocese at the Special Convention held on June 6, 2015.

The central thrust of these recommendations calls us to throw off our bowlines and sail away from the safe harbor of our four lovely church walls. It calls us to catch brisk trade winds that will carry us in a new direction - a new way of bringing the Good News of Jesus to our communities. A brisk trade wind that will blow away the dusty past and fill our sails with the love, compassion, patience, humility, and energy needed to come together – to work in unison - as we share ideas, develop collaborative ventures, and journey side by side out into the community - out into the world - exploring, dreaming and discovering a vibrant new way of being in community as disciples of Christ.

This year’s Diocesan Convention theme, imagined and so very skillfully developed by Bishop Henry Parsley, was a direct outgrowth of the work conducted by the Diocesan Council around the “how to” of the 10 Recommendations. The convention logo, “Connect, Collaborate, Create,” and the convention agenda was designed to inspire and to encourage congregations to throw off their bowlines and to work together in connecting and collaborating in new ways – new ways called Mission Clusters – new ways of listening to each other; new ways of hearing each other; new ways of seeing each other; new ways of inspiring each other to imagine a future for the church – new ways of being on God’s mission in the world.

Our guest speaker the Rt. Rev. Martin Wharton, retired Bishop of Newcastle, offered both a sermon and educational lecture that suggested the way for success as we embark on our Mission Cluster initiative is based on generous, engaged and open dialogue among all clusters – all parishes. He encouraged us to consider the church as the body of Christ in which the laity plays a critical role in creating and maintaining congregations and communities that are focused on God’s Kingdom and God’s mission in the world.

Bishop Wharton reminded us all that as we go about this work of re-imagining ourselves for the future good of the church, our Advocate, the Holy Spirit is with us always. He also reminded us that in John 14, Jesus issues a mandate to his Disciples who have grown concerned over Jesus’ statements that he will only be with them for a short time longer.  Jesus said, “I have said these things to you while I am still with you. But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything and remind you of all that I have said to you.”  (John 14:25-27)

God fully expects that we will continue to carry out Jesus’ work in the world.

Now as Disciples of Christ caught in a most challenging time for our church we must discipline ourselves to remember these words that reassure us – We must remember that the Spirit, the love and the passion and the wisdom of Jesus, dwells within us. We must discipline ourselves to open our hearts to the Spirit, and allow it to build a fire in us as it nudges us gently, or perhaps not so gently, onto the path illuminated by the Light of Christ: A path that leads to the glory of Kingdom of God.

But, the discipline of living in a way that allows us to hear and to experience the Spirit in all aspects of our life, and that allows Jesus to light our way each and every day involves courage. The courage to throw the bowlines. The courage to sail away from the safe harbor. The courage to catch the trade winds in our sails. The courage to Explore. Dream. Discover.”

I think Paul hit the nail on the head when he wrote to the Corinthians saying, “So if you think you are standing, watch out that you do not fall. No testing has overtaken you that is not common to everyone. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tested beyond your strength, but with the testing he will also provide the way out so that you may be able to endure it.”

Could it be that we will fail to understand that we are being tested - that God is testing us, perhaps as never before – that our diocese is in jeopardy if we do not Connect, Collaborate and Create within our Mission Clusters to feel the power of the Spirit; use the Light of Christ to light the way as we throw off our bowlines; to join together in a collaborative spirit never before experienced in this diocese as we create a new and gloriously inclusive path to God’s Kingdom.

I believe that the Spirit is very much with us here in the Diocese of Easton. I believe that over the past two years God has showered the diocese with gifts beyond imagination. The gifts of discernment, the gifts of loving leadership, the gifts of so many hearts and minds already working together to find a new way.

I also believe that we are being tested – not only here on the Eastern Shore, but throughout our nation and the world. Perhaps we are like the fig tree that bears no fruit. We are in severe jeopardy of losing our way. Our opportunity to Connect, Collaborate and Create is our one more year to dig around ourselves, feed ourselves and to know that with God’s help, we can do it.

Let us remember that, “God is faithful, and he will not let us be tested beyond our strength, but with the testing he will also provide the way out so that we may be able to endure it.”

“So throw the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”

Pause...and think of Jesus

Sermon

Christ Church, St. Michael’s Parish

2^nd Sunday in Lent, 2016

Luke 13:31-35

I entered this Lenten season with a very specific goal for myself – a goal reached after many weeks of discernment. It is a simple goal really, and yet it has been a somewhat difficult goal to maintain on a regular basis. Day after day I catch myself falling away from what I had vowed would be my Lenten discipline for 2016.

What is my Lenten discipline goal? To pause and think of Jesus before I speak – not only in meetings or other public events, but in each and every encounter that I have; each and every day.

How did I identify my goal? A couple of ways really.

The extensive readings covered by the History of Christianity class and the incredibly rich discussions that have filled each class meeting were certainly a key ingredient in the mix. These readings and discussions have been a vivid, and at times painful, reminder of how difficult it is to maintain a Christian way of life. They have pointed up again and again that a life committed to following the teachings of Jesus is not for the faint of heart. These readings have indicated over and over again just how easy it is to fall off the Christian way of life path and onto a path that leads not to love of neighbor and love of God, but a path that leads to that age old need to think about “me” and to be in a position of power and glory.

As we studied the history of the Christian faith from the time of Pharaoh straight on to Alexander the Great, the Roman Empire and fast forwarding to the centuries long struggles between the Western and Eastern Empires, the incredibly barbaric Crusades, the sometimes deadly struggle between the Catholics and the Protestants, the Holocaust, the insensitivity of colonists who throughout the world eliminated entire segments of indigenous culture in the name of Christianity, and the post-modern bickering among thousands of Protestant faith groups over who is right and who is wrong in their interpretation of Scripture, the class was left with many questions about the true nature of Christianity.

One puzzled and perhaps discouraged class member summed up these questions when she asked: “Weren’t they thinking about Jesus?”

Good question. Were our forefathers thinking about Jesus, or were they caught up in matters of state – both political and religious? As Christianity evolved from the time of Constantine forward until the colonization of America, was Christianity so much an arm of the state – of kings, queens, the Pope and emerging nations – that the message preached today by many, including our new Presiding Bishop, Michael Curry, - “we have embarked on a Jesus movement” – That message was not even in their line of vision? Or, if in their line of vision and pursued in an open and fervent manner, would their fervor be crushed by those whose power and authority was threatened. Just a Jesus was crushed – crucified in Jerusalem – by the Roman Empire and the Temple Jews.

An important thought to ponder – power hungry brutality waged in the name of Christianity versus the compassion of Jesus Christ offered as a foretaste of God’s saving grace.

Another key factor in my Lenten discipline decision was the ongoing conversations among my clergy colleagues that focus on the need to bring the Episcopal Church into the lives of those who remain, for a wide variety of reasons, unchurched.

These “how do we make the church more relevant” conversations can be depressing, but, more often than not, I find them to be exciting – exciting, but requiring the courage to face the unknown. We need have the imagination necessary to reach out to others in a way that is totally unknown to us - unknown because we have never done it, never been there before.

We need to toss aside the practice of dragging out old models of evangelism, dusting them off, and proudly announcing, “we have a new way of doing it” – whatever it is. And we don’t need to hold any more workshops that encourage us to “think outside the box” either. We need to get out of the box entirely and live among the unchurched – just as Jesus went out among those who did not know God. And, in doing that – in living and being among the unchurched, perhaps they will bring a new way of doing church to us. Perhaps they are already following Jesus without even knowing it – how do these unchurched folk demonstrate their love and their compassion?

How can we learn from and about people who we do not know?

Considering the history of Christianity with its years of brutal wars waged against those who were fighting for their religious freedom – their own way of worshipping God, of following Jesus, of being moved by the Spirit to love and serve the world; and, considering that we, as faith group, who not that many years ago finally won that coveted freedom to worship without fear of persecution, but who are now experiencing an alarming lack of interest in exactly that which caused so many deaths over multiple centuries prior to the 1700s --- those were the two key elements of my decision to pause and think of Jesus before speaking or acting during this Lenten season.

And how is my thinking about Jesus before I speak or act going to help matters? Or, more importantly, what makes this practice a relevant Lenten discipline?

It seems to me that if we are to keep Christ, and Christianity, alive we must always be very clear about our own motivations and our own behavior. We must continually discern the basis of our actions as we move in and through the world, in conversations and in relationships. We must be disciplined in asking ourselves, “are our conversations and actions based on our vow to love and serve the Lord; to seek the Christ in others; to strive for peace and justice; to offer ways of reconciling the world to God?”

In other words, are we keeping alive God’s gift to us – his Son Jesus Christ – and are we making this gift available to others, both here in our own community and throughout the nation and the world?

And today, I am suggesting that this continual discernment process is far easier if we think about Jesus, always. If we are persistent in reminding ourselves that Jesus is our light, the light that guides us on our way.

Today’s gospel reading comes from a portion of Luke known as The Lament Over Jerusalem. Jesus is crying out his heartache over Jerusalem, the holy city that had been the seat of God’s presence since ancient times. Jerusalem where as a boy Jesus found his home in the temple. Jerusalem the city that would soon claim his life.

He exclaims, “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it” How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!”

To me this a passage of one who knows that he has been betrayed – Jesus is passionately grief stricken -  and yet his words make it abundantly clear that he is still capable of loving completely. Jesus wants us to know that it is never too late to return to being in close relationship with him – to being a community of love and belonging.

In this brief passage, Jesus is calling his people into the security of God’s love. He is calling his people – and therefore us, into a community of love and belonging.

For me this passionate passage is a vivid image of all that has transpired over the centuries in the name of Christianity.

Jerusalem, the city that kills – the power and greed of the Roman Empire and the elite Temple Jews, a prelude to years of war and destruction waged in the name of Christianity; the power and greed that for centuries shattered lives and crumbled communities.

Jesus our savior, always there. Jesus who yearns to gather us under his protective mantle, just as a hen gathers her chicks around her, covering them with her wings to protect them from danger; Jesus who yearns for his beloved to be in close community – a community that is vital, vibrant and ever expanding – always spreading the good news of God’s love and salvation.

This is what I think of each day as I remind myself of Christ’s words and actions before I speak or act - The love and passion of Christ, whose life among us was a most incredible gift from God – The love and passion of Christ that lights the challenging path of loving others as God loves us – The love and passion of Christ that takes us on a life journey that can be thrilling, if we cast away all fear.

As Christians, we are free to worship and to evangelize without fear of persecution. As Disciples of Christ we are called to go into the world – to spread the good news – the gospel. These are incredible gifts and astounding responsibilities given to us by God.

Will we heed Jesus’ cry uttered in grief so many years ago? Will we gather together under the loving mantle of Jesus and allow ourselves to be protected by the love of and guided by the light of Christ in making our church, once again strong – once again relevant? Let us pray:

Almighty God, give us grace to cast away the works of
darkness, and put on the armor of light, now in the time of
this mortal life in which your Son Jesus Christ came to visit
us in great humility; that in the last day, when he shall come
again in his glorious majesty to judge both the living and the
dead, we may rise to the life immortal; through him who lives
and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and
for ever. Amen.